A style Questions

• What is the Tenakh?

  The Jewish sacred text comprising of three sections: Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim. Sacred texts, like the Tenakh, are the most important source of authority for many Jewish people.
• What is the Talmud?

  A collection of Jewish law and tradition; Mishnah and Gemara collected together. Study of the Talmud is an important religious duty for Jewish men-the Talmud is the Oral Torah.
• What is meant by the term covenant?

  A solemn and binding promise or agreement between two parties e.g between God, Abraham and Moses.
• Who is Abraham?

  He was the first Jew; the founder of Judaism. He is believed to be the biological and spiritual ancestor of the Jewish people.
• What is the Promised Land?

  The Land of Canaan, was promised to Abraham and his descendants by God (today known as Israel)
• Who is Moses?

  An important prophet. He led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt and took them to the Holy Land promised to them by God. He is considered to be the only human to have encountered God directly (in the Burning Bush.)
• What is the Magen David?

  The Magen David star is believed to be a representation of the shield of King David, who was the first king of Jerusalem. A sixpointed star which has become the symbol of Judaism. People of the Jewish faith were forced to wear the Star of David throughout the Holocaust in order to be recognised. The Star of David is also a common symbol depicted throughout the synagogue.
• What is the Mezuzah?

  Literally means ‘door post’. It is a scroll (Shema) enclosed in a case (often decorative and made of wood or metal). This is placed on the right-hand side of each door post of every room within the Jewish home, apart from the bathroom. The mezuzah is a constant reminder Jews that God is omnipresent
• What is the Tefillin?

  These are small leather boxes containing passages from the Torah. They are strapped onto the forehead and left arm for weekday and morning prayers. The tefillin are observed by Orthodox Jewish men of Bar Mitzvah age and over.
• What is Brit Milah?

  The ceremony of circumcision – removal of the foreskin of the penis on the eighth day after birth. Brit milah is regarded as a sign of God’s covenant with his chosen people; translates as ‘Covenant of the Cutting’.
• What is the Bar Mitzvah?

  The Bar Mitzvah ceremonies mark the tradition into adulthood for young Jews. At age 13 a boy becomes Bar Mitzvah. This includes a reading from the Torah. He is regarded as being old enough to accept responsibility for his religious beliefs , he is responsible for keeping his 613 mitzvoth.